The Foreign Ministry responded to the US offer to exchange Bout and Greiner
Russia and the United States are negotiating the exchange of their convicted citizens, but there are no results yet, the Foreign Ministry said. The United States offered Russia to exchange the Russian Bout for the Americans Greiner and Whelan “The Foreign Ministry responded to the US proposal to exchange Bout and Greiner” />
Brittney Greiner
Russia and the United States are negotiating the exchange of their citizens in custody, but no concrete results have been achieved, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharov. Her words are given on the website of the Foreign Ministry.
“The issue of the mutual exchange of Russian and American citizens in places of detention on the territory of the two countries was once discussed by the presidents of Russia and the United States. They gave instructions to the relevant authorized structures to carry out negotiations. They are maintained by the competent departments. A concrete result has not yet been achieved, — Zakharova said, commenting on the US State Department's statement about the possibility of exchanging Russian Viktor Bout for Americans Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.
According to her, Moscow proceeds from the fact that the interests of both parties are taken into account during the negotiations.
The day before, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during which he is going to raise the issue, including the release of Paul Whelan, an employee of the American auto parts manufacturer BorgWarner, who was sentenced in Russia in 2020 to 16 years for espionage. , and basketball player Britney Griner, accused of drug smuggling.
According to CNN, citing a source, Washington offered Moscow to exchange Russian Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year sentence in the United States on charges of trying to sell weapons to Colombian terrorists, Russian Viktor Bout for Griner and Whelan. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken declined to disclose details of the proposal. According to the head of the State Department, President Joe Biden supported him.
In April, an exchange of convicts took place between Russia and the United States— Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, sentenced in the United States to 20 years on charges of drug smuggling, was exchanged for American Trevor Reed, who was sentenced to nine years in prison for assaulting policemen.
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